Press Room

2008 Canadian Animal Protection Laws Rankings™

Posted on June 9, 2008

While every province and territory in Canada has at least
some laws protecting animals, a new report released today by the Animal
Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) highlights the often considerable differences
that exist among them. ALDF’s report (PDF) ranks every province and territory
on the relative strength and general comprehensiveness of its animal
protection laws. The report, the first one of its kind in the nation,
is based on a detailed comparative analysis of the animal protection
laws of each jurisdiction, researching eleven distinct categories of
provisions throughout hundreds of pages of statutes. Manitoba scored
highest, due, in part, to having laws that provide the possibility of
both fines and incarceration for offenders; the ability of courts to
order the forfeiture of animals victimized by the offender and to
restrict their future ownership of animals; and for protections that
apply to all animals, not just companion animals. Ontario scored the
lowest in the report.

“We wanted to look beyond the federal laws and identify what each
province and territory is doing for animal protection,” says Stephan
Otto, ALDF’s director of legislative affairs and author of the report.
While each province and territory has room for improvement in the
various ways its laws protect animals, it is clear that some are much
further along than others. “We hope this report encourages all the
provinces and territories, especially those at the lower end of the
rankings, like Ontario, to focus attention on this problem,” says Otto.
“Animals do not vote, but those who love and care about them do, so we
encourage lawmakers to take notice and work on improving these vital
laws.”

The full report (PDF),
including a rankings map and overview of the strengths and weaknesses
of the animal protection laws of each province and territory, is
available on our website. ALDF’s latest edition of the “Animal Protection Laws of the U.S.A. and Canada” compendium (on which the report is based), is also available.

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